


Strength and Bravery

by Bookaholix



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Post-Volume 6 (RWBY), mates mark au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:48:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27178798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bookaholix/pseuds/Bookaholix
Summary: Follows Volume 6 from Blake's perspective as she falls in love with Yang and considers, with Ruby's help, if she should Mark her. Based on Linked in Life and Love.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 3
Kudos: 48





	1. Coffee and Bunk Beds

**Author's Note:**

  * For [l_OmegaInfinity_l](https://archiveofourown.org/users/l_OmegaInfinity_l/gifts).



From the moment Blake saw the rest of her team at Haven, she knew she wouldn't be going home with her parents.

It was something she had decided on from the moment her eyes met a certain purple pair she had come to love since the moment she saw them almost a year ago in the ballroom at Beacon, all Blake wanted to do was finish her chapter before bed, while Yang's plans seemed to go completely against that, starting from the worst (and most hilarious) small talk Blake had ever been subjected to, leading to a play-fight with Ruby, and quickly turning into an argument with Weiss.

Blake wouldn't have ever denied it being the best night of her life though, when she had met the three people who had managed to become closer family than even her own parents.

Unlike Weiss, she didn't fear nor hate her parents, but somehow, three random humans had managed to worm their way into her heart, so much so that when she finally returned to Menagerie, she couldn't last ten minutes without thinking about one of them.

When Blake had parted with them, she had thought she'd at least last until her 'reunion' with Adam before wanting to see them again, she also hadn't expected Sun and her parents to catch on so fast.

So, after dealing with the monster the young boy who resembled Ozpin called 'Salem', Blake hadn't been too surprised when Sun had ripped her out of her hug with her parents and pushed her in the direction of the rest of the team.

 _I probably shouldn't be calling it my team,_ Blake thought as she slowly started walking towards them, she could feel the gazes of her parents, Sun and Ilia as she walked, but she simply ignored them, choosing instead to focus on Yang, who was talking to Qrow while giving him the blue lamp she had left the vault with.

 _I have a feeling I missed a lot._ Blake thought with a hint of sarcasm, to Yang it probably seemed like she hadn't wanted to be around despite never wanting to leave in the first place.

When she got half way across the room, Ruby suddenly collapsed, Weiss quickly following, and causing Blake to move quicker.

"Are you okay?!" Weiss cried worriedly, wrapping her arms around Ruby in a side hug.

"I feel like I should be asking you guys." Ruby said in answer, Yang dropping down on her other side right as Blake arrived "So Blake, what're you doing here?"

"I-I was just going to ask you three the same thing." Blake admitted, grabbing her left sleeve nervously.

"That's..." Ruby paused to glance at the girls on either side of her "... a _long_ story."

"Well, I'm not going anywhere." Blake said, dropping her sleeve and smiling a little more confidently.

 _It feels like Yang wants me to though..._ Blake thought sadly, having noticed that the blonde refused to look at her.

"That's all that matters, that we're all here together, right?" Ruby glanced at Weiss and Yang again, her gaze staying on Yang this time.

Yang glanced for a moment, but lowered her gaze before anyone noticed, Blake's ears drooped and her smile started to turn sad.

"Yeah..." Yang breathed, looking up properly this time.

Blake's ears perked up at that, and her smile turned to one of gratitude.

 _She wants me here..._ Blake thought, her eyes stinging as she started to cry.

The three girls smiled up at her, Weiss stretching her free arm up in a silent request for her to join them, which Blake happily obliged.

The Faunus dropped onto the floor and wrapped one arm around Weiss, and the other around Yang in a group hug, dropping her head as she felt her tears fall.

 _I'm the only one Yang's hugging,_ Blake noticed, remembering that her arm was now too short to even touch Ruby let alone wrap around her.

After a few moments that felt like an eternity, the reunited team pulled away, glancing at each another.

"You're crying." Yang said, having only just noticed.

Ruby and Weiss turned to Blake worriedly at that.

Blake pressed a hand to her eye, seemingly surprised to find her face wet, but she just grinned happily.

"I'm happy, I promise, I'm so... so happy!" Blake confessed, laughing even as more tears ran down her face.

Yang smiled warmly at that and threw her arm around her partner, giving a small chuckle as she did.

"Same here then." Yang agreed.

"Us too." Ruby added, still hugging her own partner.

Blake leaned into Yang, her hand closing around the blonde's.

"How about we save stories for later then." Blake suggested.

Yang gasped dramatically.

"Blake doesn't wanna read!?" she exclaimed.

Blake raised an eyebrow but decided to play along.

"I haven't read anything since Beacon actually." Blake confessed.

Ruby and Weiss both gasped too at that.

" _Nothing?_ " they asked at once.

Blake nodded.

"Nothing." she confirmed.

"We need to fix that then." Yang announced.

Blake nodded in agreement.

"Coffee and bunk beds." she joked.

"You don't like coffee though." Weiss pointed out even as the sisters laughed.

Blake just shrugged.

"We don't have bunk beds anymore." Ruby said sadly.

"We can figure something out." Blake offered, eyeing her partner nervously.

Yang caught her eye and raised an eyebrow.

"We should share rooms then!" Ruby suggested excitedly.

"Share?" Yang asked, sounding surprised.

"Yep! There's two beds in each room so we can just share." Ruby explained.

"I agree, Ruby and I were already sharing a room anyway, so Blake could use the spare bed in your room." Weiss explained.

"You okay with that?" Yang asked, instantly turning to her partner.

"Only if you don't mind." Blake answered softly.

"We shared a room in Beacon, so why not?" Yang asked cheerfully.

Blake smiled warmly.

"Why not." she repeated in a voice so soft and warm it startled the three girls.

"Anyway, let's get going." Ruby said, jumping up and dragging her injured partner up with her.

"Ruby!" Weiss cried, touching her torso where there was still a large blood stain.

"Sorry Weiss." Ruby said.

Weiss huffed and turned away, mumbling something only Blake could hear.

"What did she say?" Yang whispered to the Faunus, resting her head on Blake's shoulder.

Blake just started giggling.

"That she wants Ruby to carry her." Blake answered.

Yang started laughing too at that.

Weiss scowled at the pair.

"Nice to see you two made up." she said sarcastically.

Blake raised an eyebrow at Yang.

"'Made up'?" Blake asked curiously.

"Yang was crying." Ruby explained, expression stoic.

Blake instantly became worried at the mention of Yang upset.

"N-No I wasn't!" Yang tried to deny.

"Why were you crying? I know I left at a bad time, but I had good reason!" Blake rambled, talking at a speed that left Ruby impressed.

"I wasn't crying!" Yang lied.

Weiss raised an eyebrow.

"Were you chopping onions before I came in then? And you wouldn't stop talking about how upset you were." Weiss explained.

That just made Blake even more worried.

" _Why?!_ " she whined.

Yang huffed in embarrassment and started quickly walking away.

"Let's just go, all the talk of coffee has me thirsty." Yang stated.

Blake just watched her go worriedly, while Ruby and Weiss started whispering to each other.

"Was she blushing?" Ruby asked.

"Like a cherry." Weiss answered.

The two started giggling like school girls.

"Guys, what was she crying about?" Blake asked.

"You couldn't tell?" Weiss asked in surprise.

Blake just stared blankly at her, answering the white haired girl's question.

"Let's go, we'll explain when we get to the house." Ruby said, grabbing Weiss' hand.

Blake smiled and followed them out into Mistral.

* * *

Ruby and Weiss' Room

Ruby and Weiss sat on Ruby's bed next to each other, while Blake sat on Weiss' bed in front of them, waiting for them to start.

"What happened after you left Yang?" Ruby asked curiously.

Blake bit her lip and gripped her sleeve again.

"I... wanted to find Adam and make him pay for hurting her, I tended to my own injuries and went back to where I'd seen him last." Blake explained.

"Was Adam the one who did that to her?" Weiss asked.

Blake nodded.

"He wasn't there, so I looked around Vale hoping I'd find him." Blake stated.

"Did you?" Ruby asked.

Blake shook her head.

"I knew he would look for me though, so I went to where I knew he'd be." Blake explained.

"Menagerie." Weiss guessed.

Blake nodded.

"He had people on standby there, so I went to stay with my parents and told Sun I wanted a break from the trouble."

"Did he show up at least?" Ruby asked.

"No, I waited until I found out from Ilia that he would attack Haven, so I gathered every Faunus that could fight and made an army." Blake explained.

"You didn't want to fight him alone." Weiss said, nodding in understanding.

"I knew I couldn't, but I needed people to help with the rest of the White Fang."

"Did you get him?" Ruby asked hopefully.

"He escaped." Blake muttered.

Ruby and Weiss glanced at each other.

"Yang didn't care about you getting revenge for her." Ruby explained.

Blake looked up and gave a sad smile.

"I know, but he'll kill her if I don't stop him." Blake confessed, lowering her head "I don't want to see that again..."

An image came to mind of the cafeteria, tinted red and Yang being thrown through the air as her arm fell away, Blake wondered what would've happened if Yang died instead, she shuddered and quickly pushed said thoughts away.

"I don't want to see that ever again." Blake emphasized sadly.

Ruby's eyes widened as the meaning behind Blake's words sunk in.

"You... He made you watch, didn't he?" Ruby asked, horrified.

Blake nodded, squeezing her eyes shut.

"I fought Adam, but... he won, he overpowered me, got me on the ground, then stabbed me when Yang arrived outside," Blake held her hip at the memory "He made her angry and she charged at him. His Semblance is like Yang's since it can absorb attacks, and he absorbed the ones from our fight, and almost killed Yang!" Blake cried, tears running down her face "Meaning what happened to her... is all my fault!" she whimpered.

Ruby and Weiss just watched in horror as Blake started to cry, hunching over and burying her face in her hands.

"Oh, Blake..." Ruby breathed, moving over and wrapping Blake in a hug, Weiss quick to follow and hugging her from the other side.

"She probably didn't even know... that I was trying to stop her, didn't hear me..." Blake breathed.

"Do you really think that?" asked a certain blonde from the doorway.

The three girls looked up to see Yang leaning against the door with a tray full of cups in hand.

"It isn't your fault Blake, it's that... _Adam's_." Yang spat his name, obviously not liking the mention of him.

"He used my attack though, you must have seen it!" Blake cried, hoping it hadn't just been her that night. "He can replicate attacks perfectly, but you _MUST_ have seen it!"

"Calm down Blake," Yang said, putting the tray down and moving to calm Blake down. "I saw okay? I saw it, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, but it was definitely Gambol." Yang stated.

"Okay, can we talk about something other than how you lost your arm?" Weiss asked.

Ruby nodded in agreement.

"Like what?" Blake asked.

"Coffee and bunk beds?" Yang joked, holding up the tray full of coffee.

"Aw yeah, you're the best!" Ruby squealed.

"I know." Yang answered, handing out cups.

"Plain and boring for Weiss," Yang began.

"Hey!" Weiss cried.

"Crazy amount of cream and sugar for Ruby,"

"Thanks sis!" Ruby said, taking the cup.

Yang met Blake's eye, noticing the glimmer of sadness at having to drink something she didn't like.

"And jasmine with honey for Blake." Yang said, surprising Blake when she was given a cup of herbal tea.

Blake smiled gratefully at her.

"Thanks Yang." Blake said softly.

Yang nodded, returning to smile.

"Anytime."


	2. Planning

"Well, at least now we know what it is, and we'll be sure to take good care of it." Ruby said, gazing at the glowing relic.

"Well! That's that decided, I'm gonna go for a walk." Yang said, making her way to the door.

Blake perked up at that.

"Wait a second Yang!" Blake called, following the blonde.

"Yeah?"

Blake glanced around the room before whispering something to Yang, who's expression turned stern.

"'Kay, I'll be back soon." Yang stepped away and left the house, Blake watching her go.

"Well, it's nice to see you two getting along again, might we be allowed to know what it is you said to her?" Ozpin asked curiously.

"Nothing for you to worry about." she said coldly.

Blake sent him a dark look before going up the stairs.

Ruby and Weiss glanced at each other before the red head ran after Blake.

"Blake!" Ruby called as she walked down the hall, stopping in front of Blake and Yang's room "Can I come in?"

"Sure Ruby." Blake answered softly.

Ruby stepped into the room and smiled at the Faunus, who was sat on her bed with a book in her lap.

"Is everything alright?" Blake asked.

"I was about to ask you that." Ruby admitted, sitting down next to Blake.

"I'm okay." Blake said with a smile.

Ruby instantly smiled back.

"Why did you leave?" Ruby asked.

Blake stared at her in confusion.

"You left right after Yang did." Ruby pointed out.

"I was looking for something." Blake answered.

Ruby blinked and looked down at the book in Blake's lap.

"'Mate's Mark'?" Ruby read, staring at Blake in confusion.

Blake quickly closed the book and pushed it aside.

"It's nothing!" she cried nervously.

Ruby looked between Blake and the book before snatching it from her, flipping through it while Blake tried in vain to take it back.

"A mark between lovers?" Ruby asked, a mix between astonishement and amusement on her face.

Blake slumped in defeat.

"Fine." she muttered "I've been thinking about marking Yang."

Ruby blinked at her as she flipped through some more pages.

"Is there something you two haven't told me?" Ruby asked.

Blake's face turned dark red at the implications and quickly shook her head.

"No! Or at least... not Yang as far as I know." she answered.

"Then you?" Ruby asked instantly, genuinely curious.

"I love Yang." Blake stated.

Ruby smiled.

"I know, why haven't you told her though?" Ruby asked.

Blake's ears drooped.

"Our relationship's in a bad state Ruby, I don't want to worsen it with something that's probably just one sided." Blake confessed.

"Won't know until you try." Ruby said, flipping through the book some more until she found a section that caught her interest.

"Aw... why can't Weiss be a Faunus." Ruby whined.

Blake stared at Ruby in shock.

"It says you get another Semblance, isn't that cool Blake?" Ruby asked excitedly.

"I guess so." Blake agreed, taking the book back and flipping back to where she had been.

"Are you gonna tell her?" Ruby asked.

"Tell who what?" Blake asked teasingly.

Ruby rolled her eyes.

"Tell Yang you like her!" Ruby cried.

Blake glanced down, flipping through the book until she found what she was looking for.

"Blake!" Ruby whined.

"Yes? Sorry, I was looking for this." Blake explained, showing Ruby the page.

It showed two pictures alongside each other; the first was of a Faunus and Human biting each other in the same place, while the second was them with matching tattoos.

"It takes a week to obtain a Mate's Mark, a Faunus must first bite their partner, and if any love exists the bite will remain, if not it will heal within a few days, if the bite is still there by the end of the week, they must bite each other again in the same place, while pouring Aura in, which will automatically create the mark." Ruby read "Does that mean you have to bite Yang?"

Blake blushed at the thought, but nodded.

"I've got an idea!" Ruby exclaimed excitedly.

"You always do." Blake commented fondly.

"You bite Yang while she's asleep, then if it's still there by the end of the week, you'll know if she loves you or not." Ruby explained.

"What if she wakes up while I'm biting her?" Blake asked.

"Play it off." Ruby answered cheerfully.

"Fine," Blake sighed "When?"

"First chance you get, me and Weiss will help." Ruby offered.

"Alright then." Blake said, her expression softening even as her eyes showed how nervous she really was.

"So what else happens?" Ruby asked excitedly, looking expectantly at the book.

* * *

A Few Days Later

Everyone stood in the doorway to their train room, Qrow stood behind them looking amused.

"Well girls, have fun." Qrow called cheerfully, walking off to his own room.

"Well, this is... I don't even know what this is!" Weiss cried, throwing her arms in the air.

The room was the same as every other on the train, a set of shelves off to the left for luggage, a large window, and two bunk beds.

"It's just like home!" Ruby cheered.

"Well, at least beds aren't a problem." Yang said, throwing her bag on the top shelf and jumping onto the top right bunk.

Blake just watched the blonde before pulling a book out of her bag and putting it on the shelf below Yang's, then sitting on the lower bunk to read.

Weiss followed Blake's lead and pulled a book of her own out and sat on the bed opposite Blake, Ruby grabbed her scroll and climbed onto the bunk above Weiss.

'An interesting predicament.' Blake thought as she tried to read, even though her thoughts just distracted her.

She wanted to talk to Yang, maybe ask what she thought of the room, or... anything! She didn't want to be sat by a window in a room that looked like their Beacon dorm reading a book she'd read a million times before.

Blake's eyes flicked up to the red head, who was lying on her back playing a game, she let out a sigh and shut the book, but kept it in her lap, opting instead to stare out the fogged up window.

Eventually Ruby looked over, noticing Blake's bored posture and decided instantly to fix it.

"Okay, time for an official team exercise; Who wants to play video games!"

"I'm in if you want me to kick your butt." Yang answered, causing Blake to perk up with interest "Let me just grab my scroll."

Blake watched curiously as Yang walked over to her bag, eyeing Ruby who was giving her a thumps up.

Blake jumped up and ran over, unintentionally using her Semblance so she would make it before Yang, who was already reaching for the large yellow bag.

"Here, let me help you!" Blake offered, grabbing the bag for Yang and giving it to her.

"Blake, you don't have to do that." Yang said, even as she took the offered bag.

Ruby slapped a hand to her forehead, her plan obviously not going how she wanted.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Blake said her head dropping sadly.

"I'm fine, we're gonna be fine." Yang began, Blake heard the faint growl and noticed Ruby glaring at Yang "It's just gonna be a bit before things are back to normal."

Blake's ears drooped, only to glance up when Yang's tone changed, becoming less chiding and much more warm.

"But... I am glad we're all back together." Yang confessed.

Blake smiled, sparing Ruby a glance, who was grinning at them both.

"Yeah." Blake agreed "Okay."

"How touching." Qrow interrupted.

Everyone looked over at the older man, who was holding a martini while leaning against the door.

"Hey Uncle Qrow, you wanna play too?" Ruby asked, holding up her scroll.

"Kick your butts? Sure." he agreed.

He took one step in the room before the train shook, causing him to drop his drink.

"What was that?" Yang asked.

"Exactly what it sounds like." Weiss answered, standing up while Ruby jumped down from her bunk.

"Just my luck." Blake said 'I start making progress and then I get interrupted.'

"It's not yours." Qrow said, peering out the window in the hall "Grab your weapons!"

Blake spared Yang a glance, the blonde, looking furious for some reason, activated her gauntlet before they all ran after Qrow, each grabbing their weapons on the way out.


	3. First Stage p1

The group made their way through the snow, Yang having the hard task of carrying all the luggage and Maria on her bike while everyone else just tried to wrap their heads around the fact that Ozpin had been lying to them the whole time.

"I guess I was right with my suspicions then." Blake muttered.

"What suspicions?" Ruby asked, suddenly appearing next to her "About Ozpin?"

Blake nodded.

"I never trusted him." Blake admitted, slipping an arm through Ruby's so they could hear each other over the howling wind.

"He was always so nice though." Ruby said sadly.

Blake gave a weak smile.

"Ruby, it's fine, he tricked all of us." Blake pointed out.

Ruby just scowled.

"Don't say that word." Ruby ordered coldly.

"What word?"

"'Fine', Yang always says it and it drives me crazy!" Ruby shouted, causing everyone to look over at her and Blake to wince due to Ruby shouting so close.

"Sorry." Yang said, not sounding at all sorry, she shot Blake a grin over Ruby's head which left Blake feeling warm.

"No you're not." Ruby grumbled, stepping away from Blake and moving towards her best friend, linking arms with Weiss instead.

"Is it annoying?" Yang asked curiously.

"Not really." Blake answered with a shrug.

She'd never been bothered by Yang's bad habits.

Yang stared at her for a long moment, making Blake feel uncomfortable.

"Really?" she finally asked, sounding astonished.

"Yep, never." Blake answered with a grin.

"Will you two lovebirds just kiss already!" Maria snapped.

The two girls blushed and turned away from each other.

"We're not...!" Yang stuttered.

Blake turned with a slightly offended look on her face.

"Not what Yang?" Blake asked.

Yang just blushed deeper.

"N-Not... Not..." Yang let go of her bike as she fumbled with her words.

Blake just tilted her head curiously.

"Not lovers." Yang finally said, looking like a tomato "...Yet."

Blake's ears shot up at that and she stared at the blonde in shock and embarrassment.

Yang stared at her in confusion for a moment, before blushing deeper when she realised Blake heard the last part.

"I was joking." Yang said with a weak, and very much fake, laugh.

Blake couldn't help but feel disappointed at that.

"I just want to get this stupid relic to Atlas." Blake complained, changing the subject.

"Let's hope we don't have to walk all the way there." Weiss agreed.

"I thought trails led somewhere." Yang said, pointedly looking at Maria.

"Do you have nothing better to do than harass a 'defenceless old lady'." Maria asked.

"Everyone quiet, do you hear that?" Ruby asked.

Blake's ears twitched, sighing happily when she heard an old gate creaking.

"Well, at least one good thing happened today." Blake said sarcastically.

"It looks abandoned." Weiss said, stating the obvious.

"It's still better than this." Ruby said, pointing back towards the snowy forest.

"I think we could all use some rest." Qrow stated, holding the gate while everyone entered.

"Why don't we try that place?" Yang suggested, pointing to a large white house in front of a well.

"Did you just pick the biggest house you could find?" Weiss asked mock coldly.

"Weiss, not now." Yang snapped, pulling her bike towards it.

Blake eyed Weiss as she quickly followed after.

"Yang!" Blake called as she caught up.

"Yep." the blonde answered, sounding tired.

"There's a barn over there, why don't you put Bumblebee there for the night?" Blake offered.

Yang looked in the direction Blake was pointing and nodded.

"Sure, get off old lady!" Yang snapped without bite.

Maria rolled her eyes but obeyed.

"You remembered the name of my bike?" Yang asked, sounding happy for the first time since the train.

Blake smiled back.

"Of course, it's... important to you." Blake confessed.

Yang blushed at the implications.

"S-Sorry, I just meant-"

"I know what you meant Blake, us being partners, right?" Yang asked.

No, "Yes..." she mumbled.

"I told you Blake, we'll be fine." Yang reassured, stepping on ahead.

Blake bit her lip and turned back to the house.

"I didn't mean partners Yang." Blake mumbled.

Yang glanced over her shoulder with a suspicious look "What?"

"Nothing!" Blake waved her arms before turning away again "... We should go back." Blake suggested.

Yang blinked in confusion.

"Blake?"

Blake ignored the blonde, instead making her way over towards their travelling companions, who had finally gotten the door open.

* * *

"What do you think?" Blake asked, stepping up next to Ruby who was staring at a bunch of photographs.

"Something doesn't feel right." Ruby confessed.

"Let's look for some-"

Ruby was cut off by Weiss screaming, the two girls instantly rushing upstairs.

Weiss and Yang were sat in the doorway, staring at a bed which had two dead bodies.

Blake's hand subconsciously drifted towards her partner's shoulder, gripping the brown material while her hands shook.

Yang tore her gaze away and looked up at Blake with a fearful look in her eyes.

"Blake...?" she whispered.

Blake bit her lip and slid her hand down Yang's arm, pulling her up and helping her out of the room, Ruby doing the same with Weiss, only picking her up instead.

Ruby glanced at Blake nervously.

"Get them downstairs." Blake ordered before re-entering the room.

"Blake!" Yang cried worriedly.

Blake popped her head back out, arms laden with blankets.

"Yes?"

Yang scowled at the innocent, albeit shaky response.

"Nothing." she muttered, making her way back downstairs and sitting on the couch.

As soon as Blake got downstairs, she left the blankets in a pile, taking one which she draped over Weiss, who was sitting, staring into the fire with a look of frozen horror on her face.

Blake turned and sat next to Yang, the room turning silent until Qrow entered, dusting off snow.

"It's the same in every house." he stated.

"What?" Yang asked in shock.

"Bodies, every bed in every house, it's like the whole estate went to sleep and never woke up." Qrow explained.

"Then we're not staying here, right?" Weiss asked as Qrow sat next to her and started rubbing his hands together.

"We don't have a choice, storm outside's only getting worse, we'd freeze to death before we made it anywhere."

"Well, might as well get comfortable." Maria said, walking towards the bookcase.

"Yeah, fat chance." Yang said.

"Alright, let's do something, if this place wasn't abandoned it might still have supplies we could use." Ruby said.

"Hey, yeah, maybe even a car." Oscar agreed with a smile.

"I'll do another sweep of the grounds; no one else goes anywhere alone." Qrow ordered, walking back out.

Blake shot Ruby a glance, the red haired leader looking back with a smile and small nod.

"Yang and I can search the other buildings for vehicles." Blake suggested, standing up.

Yang eyed her suspiciously.

"Fine, whatever gets me out of this house." Yang agreed with an eye roll, a cold, tired look on her face.

Blake winced at that, Ruby doing the same before giving Blake a discreet thumps up.

"I'll get the door!" Ruby announced, running towards the door being held shut by an old dresser, pushing it aside and catching the door before the wind slammed it into the wall.

"Good luck." Ruby whispered to Blake.

Blake nodded her thanks and glanced over at Yang, who was looking furious for some unknown reason.

* * *

They made their way through the blizzard until they reached the barn again.

"That was fast." Yang muttered.

Blake raised an eyebrow at her as they pushed the door open.

"The storm." Yang elaborated.

"Yeah." Blake agreed, starting to feel nervous.

They got inside and started looking around.

"Something tells me that's not street legal." Blake joked when she saw an old tractor, turning to Yang only to find her walking off without a word.

"What do you think happened here?" Yang asked.

"There's that well in the square, maybe water contamination?" Blake suggested.

"Yeah, maybe." Yang muttered, clutching her head.

"Hey, are you okay?" Blake asked nervously, Maybe now's not the best time.

"Yeah, I mean no! But I dunno, I'm just tired." Yang confessed, turning away.

"Yeah." Blake said sadly, watching her go.

"Hey, I found something!" Yang called, turning towards a section with a window.

Yang walked towards whatever she'd found, only to suddenly jump back slightly with a gasp.

Blake instantly rushed over, weapon drawn.

"What is it?" she asked when she found nothing there.

"I... I was just seeing things, I'm sorry." Yang said.

Blake's scared face turned to one of sadness and worry; she heard the sound of rattling metal and looked to find Yang's hand shaking, hard.

"I still get flashes from that night." Yang explained as she caught her hand in her metal and steadied it "Do you think Adam's still out there?"

"I dunno, if he went back to the White Fang there would've been serious consequences, but he never really liked people telling him what to do." Blake explained, tilting her head away when Yang started staring at her in shock.

"Adam's strong, but his real power comes from control, he used to get in my head, make me feel small, but now I see he just wanted to pull me down to his size." Blake continued, moving closer to Yang.

Yang lifted her metal hand, staring at it for a moment.

An idea struck Blake and she caught Yang's hand, a small smile forming as her voice softened.

"Hey, I'm not leaving, and if we ever see him again, I promise I'll be there." Blake said, cheering internally when Yang turned to her with a warm smile "I care about you."

Blake hadn't meant to say the last part out loud, and the look of shock on Yang's face confirmed that she'd heard.

"What?" Yang asked in shock, but all Blake saw was the hope in her eyes.

"I'm sorry." Blake whispered, she wasn't sure what she was apologising for though.

Yang's face fell, not that Blake noticed.

"I care about you too." Yang breathed.

Blake perked up at that slightly, staring hopefully at Yang.

"Really?" she asked.

Yang turned back and smiled.

"Yeah, I care Blake, otherwise I wouldn't have gotten this." Yang said, motioning to her metal arm.

Blake ears drooped.

"I didn't want you to get hurt for me, you almost died." Blake said softly, memories of a red and black tinted room, a sword flying towards Yang who flew through the air and hit the ground hard enough to leave Blake worried about broken bones as well as her missing arm.

"If it makes you feel better, I won't do that again." Yang said, wiping Blake's cheeks of the tears she hadn't even noticed "Is that why you left?"

"Huh?" Blake sniffled, confused.

"Did you leave to get back at me for almost dying on you?" Yang joked.

"Don't joke about that!" Blake snapped with an angry scowl.

Yang smiled sadly.

"Sorry, seriously though, why did you leave?" the blonde asked.

Good a time as any. Blake thought, biting her lip.

"I wanted to lead Adam away from you three." Blake confessed.

Yang blinked in confusion.

"That guy who did this?" she asked.

Blake nodded.

"He promised to destroy everything important to me, and I knew he'd kill you if I stayed." Blake explained.

Yang nodded slowly in thought.

"Is that why you looked so freaked out that night?" Yang asked, thinking back to the look of terror she'd seen on Blake's face.

Blake nodded.

"He wants to kill you. Ruby and Weiss too." Blake stated.

"Guess he missed then." Yang joked, despite her cold sweat.

Blake shrugged, but couldn't help the relieved smile "I'm glad." she whispered.

"Me too Blake." Yang breathed.

Blake played with her hair for a moment before asking what she wanted to say since Haven.

"Yang, before we go..." Blake began, when Yang turned, she continued nervously "Do you... trust me?"

Yang's brow furrowed in confusion "Huh?"

"There's something I want to do, so... do you trust me?" Blake asked hesitantly.

"Are you going to leave again?"

"No."

"Will you be okay?"

"Yes."

"Then I trust you." Yang said with a smile.

Blake smiled back, sighing in relief.

"Thanks Yang." Blake said softly.

Yang turned back towards the door.

"Now let's go, you've gotta be freezing in that top." Yang teased.

Blake blushed.

"I'm fine." she muttered.

Yang hummed in a way that said she didn't believe her.

"Sure Blake, sure." She said teasingly.


	4. First Stage p2

When they got back to the house, Yang went straight to the fire, sitting down next to Weiss and rubbing her cold hands together while beginning a conversation with Weiss.

Blake simply watched from the doorway while Ruby pushed the dresser back into place.

"Well?" Ruby asked the Faunus.

Blake turned and smiled.

"Success." she said.

"You asked?" Ruby asked in surprise.

"We talked," Blake corrected.

Ruby nodded slowly, quickly becoming worried.

"We were just... chatting, and I let things slip." Blake explained.

"'Things'? What kind of things?" Ruby asked worriedly.

"I told her I cared about her, I was going to ask, but... well," Blake shrugged helplessly.

Ruby raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"What happened Blake?" Ruby asked, her tone serious.

Blake heaved a sigh.

"I told her I needed to do something and asked her to trust me," Blake explained with a small smile "She thought I was leaving again."

"Don't do that ever again Blake, she didn't know what to think." Ruby said, looking over at her sister to make sure she wasn't listening in.

Blake stared at her curiously.

"She was questioning if she should hate you or not." Ruby said, though instantly regretted it when Blake flinched with a hurt look.

"S-She doesn't... does she?" Blake whispered, sounding genuinely scared.

Ruby shook her head quickly, "No!" she cried a little too loudly.

"Ruby?" Yang called "You okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine!" Ruby called back, only to scowl while Blake started laughing "She told Weiss she was just confused."

"That's good, this won't work if she doesn't feel the same." Blake mumbled nervously.

Ruby just nodded and looked over at Yang again, she was leaning on her arms while chatting to Weiss, the fire reflecting off her metal arm...

"She feels the same Blake, I'm sure of it." Ruby said with a knowing smile.

"I'll take your word for it then." Blake said, smiling.

Ruby looked between her team for a moment.

"We should go to bed, long day tomorrow." Ruby said, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Good idea Rubes." Yang agreed.

She stood up and started laying blankets down ready to be slept with, Blake rushed over to help, taking advantage of the large amount of blankets and folding them into makeshift pillows.

"Hey, you sleeping on the floor too?" Yang asked Oscar, who was sat reading in the corner.

"Oh, uh... I'll just sleep on the couch." he said, grabbing a blanket before continuing reading.

"What about you?" Blake asked, looking at Maria.

"Just leave me a blanket." the old woman ordered.

Blake handed Maria a blanket, who draped it over the arm of her chair and went back to reading as well.

Everyone got into the makeshift beds on the floor, Ruby quickly claiming a middle while making Weiss take the one closest to the fire.

"Uh... well," Yang trailed awkwardly.

"I don't bite Yang." Blake said, despite wondering if that was really true Marking counts as biting. she thought nervously.

"R-Right, I'm gonna get a drink." Yang said, Blake following moments after she left.

"Are you following me?" Yang asked.

"No, I just want to make sure you don't drink anything too strong." Blake teased.

"Nah, I don't even like alcohol," when Blake gave Yang a look, she quickly added "Much."

"Yang, you were always out drinking at Beacon." Blake pointed out.

"Not always," Yang said defensively "How did you know anyway?"

Blake just raised an eyebrow and twitched an ear.

"Oh..." Yang trailed, suddenly feeling silly.

"It's fine, I always heard you leaving, then I'd just stay up until you got back." Blake confessed.

"Must've been tiring." Yang said, looking at the shelves for something non-alcoholic.

"Not really, besides, someone had to help you reach your bed." Blake teased.

Yang paused, and Blake saw a flash of red before Yang went to the next room.

"Creepy." Yang muttered when she saw the wooden doors.

"Why don't you just melt some ice?" Blake joked.

"Yeah yeah," Yang muttered.

Blake turned and picked something off a shelf.

"What on Remnant is this?" she asked.

"Hm?" Yang stepped up next to her and read the tin "Uh... fish?"

Blake removed the lid and was instantly hit with the strong stench of mouldy food.

"Yep, it's fish." Blake confirmed, quickly putting the lid on and returning it to the shelf.

"Let's just go to bed." Yang suggested.

Blake nodded, knowing the night would be like when Yang went drinking - long.

It ended up not being as long as Blake thought, Ruby and Weiss had moved closer together and were hugging in their sleep, and Yang had fallen asleep only minutes after hitting the 'pillow'.

Now Blake lay, staring at the ceiling of the haunted house, ears twitching to make sure everyone was asleep, and occasionally glancing at Yang, she knew she should do it soon, or she'd fall asleep and lose her only chance.

Blake rolled onto her side and moved closer, eternally grateful that the blonde had taken her jacket off before bed.

She slid closer until she was almost pressed against her, and pushed her golden locks away from her neck, her eyes ran over her collar, looking for the perfect spot to do it.

It's probably safer to do it over a bone, where she won't notice until morning, Blake thought, and with a small nod, leaned over.

Right as Blake was about to bite down, Ruby shot up, startling the Faunus and causing her to almost fall on Yang.

"Ruby!" she hissed angrily.

"Oh! Sorry Blake." Ruby laughed nervously.

"Shush! You'll wake her!" Blake whispered, still annoyed.

Ruby stopped talking and lay down, but continued to watch.

"I wanted to watch." she admitted when Blake stared at her.

Blake rolled her eyes before returning to her position.

"Just... tell me if she wakes up." Blake ordered, before sinking her teeth in.

She shut her eyes and allowed her aura to flow through her and into Yang, only pulling away when she felt she'd added enough.

She wiped the blood off her mouth with the back of her hand and stared at the spot, Ruby watched curiously as the bleeding bite began to turn dark purple, almost black.

"It looks like a bruise." Ruby mumbled.

"Because it is." Blake responded.

Ruby just hummed in understanding.

"Now what?" she asked.

"We wait, if it starts to fade, it means it failed." Blake answered.

Ruby nodded.

"How long until we know it worked?"

"A week." Blake answered, covering a yawn with her blood stained hand.

Ruby winced and pointed to her hand.

"You should clean that, or it'll look suspicious." Ruby said.

Blake nodded in agreement and wiped it off on her blanket.

"Blake, would that have hurt her?" Ruby asked worriedly.

Blake looked over in surprise and confusion.

"She's asleep Ruby, and my aura would've made sure it didn't." Blake explained.

"It just... looks painful." Ruby admitted.

Blake leaned over and nipped Ruby's collar bone.

"That's how it would've felt." Blake explained at Ruby's look of confusion.

"So, it didn't hurt." Ruby guessed.

Blake shook her head and Ruby sighed in relief.

"So when will the magic start?" Ruby asked excitedly.

Blake smiled in amusement.

"In the morning." Blake answered.

"You'll both know what the other's feeling then?" Ruby asked.

Blake nodded and lay down.

"I can tell you what she's feeling if you like." Blake offered.

"You don't have to." Ruby answered, her response obviously a lie.

"Sure Ruby," Blake said, smiling as she felt herself drift off "Sure."


	5. Confessions p1

The next morning, Blake was woken up what felt like far too early, she was exhausted, and admittedly felt like she hadn't even gone to sleep in the first place.

"Blake, wake up!" Yang snapped.

Blake jolted up at that, especially when she Felt a slight trace of _anger_ coming from Yang.

 _It started quicker than_ _I expected,_ she couldn't help thinking as she pushed the emotions away.

"Good morning Yang." Blake greeted, covering a yawn.

"We gotta go Blake, like, right now." the blonde said.

Blake frowned, the anger had turned into fear; she nodded and got up, grabbed her jacket as they left the house, Yang practically dragging her out the door.

Yang let go of Blake when they were out of the house and went to sit by the log pile next to the house.

_Fear, Panic, Worry._

Blake jumped in surprise at the sudden onslaught of emotions coming from Yang, a tiny smile forming at being able to feel them, but was saddened when she realised how negative they were.

Blake bit her lip and tried to send something back.

_Concern?_

Yang jumped and looked around quickly before her eyes landed on Blake, who was sitting on the steps, as she went to loosely fold her arms, she met Yang's eyes and rubbed her collar bone.

Yang, taking the hint, looked down and was surprised when she found a bruise-like mark.

_Curious, Questioning?_

Blake smiled as she remembered what she'd read about people having 'conversations' through their emotions.

_Apology, Concern?_

Yang gave a small smile back and nodded.

_Expectant, Questioning?_

Blake raised an eyebrow, and Yang just pointed to her neck.

_Apology, Calm._

Yang frowned and was about to move closer when Blake stopped her with something else.

_Lo- Happy!_

Yang stared at Blake like she'd just said something stupid.

Blake blushed at what she almost 'said'.

_Happy..._

Blake's blush just deepened and she stared down at the snow covered ground.

"So, what just happened?" Yang suddenly asked from next to her, startling Blake.

"Um... It's a long story." Blake mumbled.

"Short version?"

Blake chuckled nervously.

_Apology._

"Okay, however you're doing that, just... stop apologising." Yang ordered.

"Faunus have this thing called a Mate's Mark," Blake began, eyeing the blonde to make sure she was keeping up.

"I've heard of that!" Yang cried excitedly "It's some kinda love bite for Faunus."

Blake blushed at the surprising accuracy of her words.

"Right, do you know how they're made?" Blake asked.

"Nope."

"Well, it's as you said, a love bite, so it's formed by... by..." Blake trailed off, far too embarrassed to say it.

Yang looked at her curiously for a moment, then the emotions came.

_Curiosity, Realization... Shock._

"I'm sorry!" Blake cried, squeezing her eyes shut.

"You... marked me?" Yang asked slowly.

Blake took a peek at Yang, and was surprised when she saw Yang's emotions battling in her eyes.

Blake pursed her lips and nodded, scratching her collar idly.

Yang went to scratch her own when everything fell into place, and she started looking between Blake and the 'bruise' on her neck.

_Apology... Apology!_

_Questioning? Sadness._

Blake flinched at that last one.

"I'm sorry..." she whispered "But... I meant it."

_Care. Hope._

"So... is it normal for Faunus to, like... mark people before the love confessing?" Yang asked "Isn't a Mate's Mark like us getting married anyway?"

Blake blushed and gave a small nod, mumbling something that Yang couldn't hear.

"Hm?"

"I did tell you..." Blake mumbled.

"When?"

"Last night." Blake answered.

Yang blinked and thought back to last night, then remembered the barn.

"So I guess 'I care about you' is Faunus for 'I love you'?" Yang asked.

Blake's blush turned into a slight scowl.

"I can remove it." she offered in a serious tone.

Yang instantly clamped a hand over her mark, and shook her head.

"No way! Cool magic powers that come with being 'mated' to the girl I love I am not giving up." Yang announced, only to realise a moment too late what she just said.

"L-L... Love...?" Blake stuttered, face a brilliant red.

_Apology, Honest..._

Blake's blush deepened at the confession.

"It's not magic..." Blake mumbled.

Yang just chuckled.

"Sure feels like it, anyway let's get going." Yang said, moving to stand up.

Blake bit her lip.

"Yang!" she called, jumping up and almost head butting Yang.

"Yeah?" Yang answered, moving away slightly.

Blake bit her lip before leaning forward and touching Yang's cheek, then proceeded to walk quickly past Yang towards their transport, jumping up and moving so she would be closest to Yang.

The blonde just stood where Blake had left her, eyes wide and flesh hand touching her cheek where Blake had just kissed her.

 _'She... She_ kissed _me, she really kissed me!'_

Yang looked over her shoulder and met the gaze of her partner, who was blushing pink while trying to keep eye contact.

_Excited, Happy, Love..._

Yang grinned at the message.

"I love you too..."


	6. Confessions p2

The two girls spent most of the journey 'talking' through the link, Blake had come up with a way to explain what had happened, even though it wasn't exactly easy, Yang would make small gestures when 'asked', and sometimes subtly ask questions, by the time they had to stop for the night Blake had explained everything about Mate's Marks.

"We should build a camp." Weiss suggested as she climbed down from the trailer.

"We'll go find some wood for a fire then!" Ruby announced, grabbed Blake's arm and dragging her into the trees.

"It went well then?" Ruby asked.

"What?" Blake asked, bending down to pick up a dry twig.

"I saw you talking to Yang this morning," Ruby paused and grinned mischievously "I saw you kissing her too."

Blake blushed.

"She... said she loves me." Blake breathed.

Ruby's teasing smile turned into a genuine one.

"She does Blake," Ruby stated "And you love her?"

Blake's brow creased at the question Ruby already knew the answer to.

"I love her," Blake said softly "I loved her when... she said she liked my ribbon, when she went crazy on that Grimm, how she didn't judge me when she knew I was a faunus..."

Ruby smiled warmly.

"Also when she got back up during the fight against Torchwick, and came to help me when I was sleep deprived, danced with me, and lost... her arm... for me." Blake rubbed her cheek, well aware that she was crying.

Ruby sniffled, beyond touched at the confession.

"Sis's so lucky to have you." Ruby said, drying her eyes with the edge of her sleeve.

Blake bit her lip.

"I didn't mean to hurt her, all the time I was in Menagerie I couldn't stop..." Blake trailed off, her face darkening.

Ruby blinked and looked in the direction Blake was, only to find her sister staring at Blake with cheeks just as red.

"C-Carry on..." she whispered, ignoring Ruby.

"... Thinking about you..." Blake finished.

Ruby snatched the few sticks from Blake before running back to camp.

Yang took three large steps forwards and kissed the faunus.

"I wondered why you left when I was in Patch," Yang confessed "I thought you didn't feel the same and that's why you left, that you somehow found out and didn't want to be around me anymore."

"I did, I still do, I wanted to find Adam and... take the danger away, he was going to kill you!" Blake cried at Yang's surprised look.

Yang bit her lip, a year ago she would've laughed it off, but Adam had taught her, if anything, that no one was invincible, not her, Pyrrha, or anyone.

"Then let me be there with you, let me be by your side when we take the danger away, then we can finish this." Yang said, tapping the mark on her neck.

Blake smiled playfully.

"Alright, just... don't die this time." Blake ordered.

"I didn't die last time!" Yang cried offensively.

"I know, but he leave you..." Blake trailed off.

"Unarmed?" Yang joked.

"Mm, unarmed and almost dead." Blake said.

"But I still survived," Yang pointed out.

Blake looked down at the snow sadly.

"Only because we got away in time." she mumbled.

"You mean... if we didn't escape we'd be dead?" Yang asked, raising an eyebrow.

Blake nodded.

"What do you remember?" Blake asked.

"Hm... Fighting a pile of Grimm after we chatted, after that I found Weiss outside, she told me you'd gone after the Alpha." Yang explained.

"Anything else?" Blake asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, I got to the cafeteria and started calling, then I heard you getting stabbed, got super angry, then..." Yang trailed off as she tried to remember "Everything turned... red and black?"

"That's part of Adam's Semblance." Blake explained.

Yang nodded in understanding.

"I ran at him... Did I even reach him?" Yang asked.

"No, after that he cut your arm off, you hit the ground next to me and I escaped using a clone," Blake explained "I somehow managed to make one of both of us." Blake frowned in confusion.

"I remember moving, being in pain, then blacking out, I wasn't asleep though." Yang said.

Blake blushed at that.

"Then... you heard?" she breathed.

"I heard Adam asking why you were hurting him, and then you saying a load of stuff, I couldn't hear much though," Yang answered, thinking for a moment "You kept apologising, then you told me something before leaving."

Blake nodded for her to continue.

"I told you I was going away for a while, that I'd kill Adam, then I'd come home." Blake said softly.

"And did you?" Yang asked.

"Did I what?"

"... Did you find home?" Yang asked shyly.

Blake nodded and wrapped Yang in a hug.

Yang heard her mumble something, but couldn't make out what.

"What was that?"

"... Revenge doesn't make a home." she whispered.

Yang felt her insides warm, and knew it had nothing to do with her Semblance.

"Guess so, I'd still like to give him a good punch though." Yang responded, holding the girl tightly.


	7. Second Stage

The next morning they set off as soon as everyone was awake, eating the food Ruby and Weiss had gotten from the pantry at the farm while Maria told stories of her past, right as Ruby was trying to cheer Maria up with asking for lessons on silver eyes, her scroll rung.

Blake smiled when she felt Yang's surprise quickly turn into excitement.

Yang continued driving, while excitement filled the rest of the trailer, patches of grass were appearing while the trees steadily decreased.

Eventually Yang stopped, there was no snow left and they had left the forest completely, the sky was purple and gold with the remains of sunrise.

_Awe... Joy._

Blake couldn't help but smile as Yang's emotions washed over her summer breeze.

_Happy..._

Yang glanced over her shoulder and met Blake's eyes, returning the warm smile with one of her own.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived in Argus." Yang announced.

_Amusement._

Yang shot the faunus a look while turning back around.

 _Ha ha Blake,_ she sent sarcastically.

The amusement only seemed to double at that and the blonde heard barely contained giggles.

"Shut up!" Yang snapped over her shoulder.

"What were you two talking about?!" Ruby asked excitedly.

"Blake was teasing me." Yang answered as she slowly started driving down to the city.

"What about?" Weiss asked.

Yang felt confusion coming from Blake and couldn't help but agree.

"Did Ruby tell you?" Blake asked.

Weiss nodded.

"She explained while you two were busy making out last night." Weiss answered casually.

_**Embarrassment!** _

"Shut up Ice Queen!" Yang snapped, not liking the intense emotions flowing from Blake one bit "And calm down Blake!" she added.

Everyone looked at Blake to find her trying in vain to hide a deep blush.

"Sorry Yang." she mumbled.

"Well, it's better than when you arrived at Haven." Oscar said quietly.

Blake shot the boy a glare.

"Nobody asked you." Blake muttered coldly.

Yang peeked over her shoulder and gave Blake her best attempt at a grin, which wasn't easy with Blake's anger overpowering her own, even if it wasn't directed at her.

_Understanding... Calm._

Blake took a deep breath and nodded.

"Thanks Yang." she said, ignoring the looks she and Yang were getting.

The group arrived and got settled in, meeting up with JNR and going to Jaune's sisters' house.

Blake watched in overwhelming amusement as Weiss and Yang made funny, and cute in the latter's case, faces at Jaune's nephew.

Ruby and Jaune were chatting with Jaune's sister, Saphron, while Nora and Ren were in the kitchen making lunch.

Yang caught her eye when she felt Blake's amusement over the link, she smiled at Blake before picking up a toy plane and flying it around Adrian.

"M-Miss Belladonna?" Oscar asked from next to her.

Blake glanced over "Hm?"

"May I ask something, about you and..." Oscar paused and glanced at Yang "... the 'link'?"

"What about it?" she asked, only to frown "Did... Ozpin ask?"

Oscar shook his head quickly.

"No! I was just curious." he admitted.

"Alright." Blake answered.

"I have all of Ozpin's memories from Beacon, but... well..." Oscar trailed off nervously.

"Are you curious about us?" Blake asked, sparing a glance at the boy possessed by one of the worst people she'd ever met.

"Ozpin had a lot on you as people, but nothing as a team aside from that you worked well together." Oscar explained.

Blake smiled at him.

"We did," her gaze grew distant "Team RWBY, we were always in places we weren't meant to be, doing things we shouldn't."

Oscar raised an eyebrow curiously.

"You were trouble makers?" he asked.

Blake chuckled but shook her head.

"Ruby wanted to be a hero, and I was wanting to get rid of the White Fang." Blake confessed "I never stopped to think what it did to the team."

"Why is that?" Oscar asked.

Blake turned and was met with genuine curiosity.

"I used to be in the White Fang, my father was a founder and high leader, making me the rightful heir, but my father quit so he could start a family and passed it to Sienna Khan, who was overthrown by Adam before I came to Haven." Blake explained.

_Surprise, Anger!_

Blake glanced at the tense blonde.

_Apology._

"Adam Taurus' my ex-boyfriend, he became violent, started killing innocent humans, which goes against what the White Fang is, after that I left and joined Beacon hoping to find a way to stop him." Blake explained.

Oscar shuddered.

"You wanted to turn it back to the way it was." Oscar guessed.

Blake nodded.

"It was meant for a way to reason with humans, not kill them."

_Sadness, Shame._

_Calm!_

Blake jumped and looked up, being met with a red eyed glare from Yang.

"It's not your fault Blake." she said, putting the toy down and turning fully.

"Sorry, that wasn't..."

"I know exactly what that was!" Yang snapped.

Oscar blinked.

"Your arm?" he asked.

Ruby turned to join the conversation "Blake blames herself." she explained.

"Which is understandable." Weiss added.

"She blames herself for something she feels responsible for." Saphron guessed, picking her son up and resting him on her lap.

Blake ducked her head.

_Honest, Hatred! Happy._

Yang blinked at all the different emotions.

"Um, Blake?" Yang asked hesitantly.

Blake looked up and nodded at the confusion she felt from the blonde.

_Honest, Love..._

Yang smiled softly, cheeks turning pink at the confession.

Blake's expression darkened suddenly.

_Hatred, Anger, Desperation!_

The emotions all came at once, hitting Yang so hard her eyes turned red and for a moment became her's as well as Blake's.

"Yang! Calm down." Ruby ordered, touching her sister's flesh arm.

"God Blake..." Yang breathed, sniffling while gazing at Blake "Is that...?"

Blake nodded and wiped at her own eyes.

"I was... with him for five years, five years he spent lying to me!" Blake cried, tearing running down her cheeks.

_Hatred! Sadness..._

Yang's face fell and she stood up, pulling Blake along with her as they went upstairs, everyone watching with worried expressions.

"Are they... going to be okay?" Saphron asked.

"I'm sure they'll be fine, they just need to talk whatever it was out." Jaune reassured.

Ruby and Weiss shot him a glare for his assumption.

"They just started dating." Weiss explained.

Saphron nodded in understanding, preferring Weiss' explanation to her brother's.

"How does that...?" Oscar wondered.

Saphron smiled.

"When two people are in love, they can understand each other better." the blonde explained.

Oscar nodded and looked back toward the stairs, praying they would be okay, even with the empty reassurances he could sense from Ozpin.


	8. Affinity

Blake and Yang spent quite a while upstairs, but everyone thought it best to leave them alone until dinner time.

Ruby went into the garden and was given a brief lesson on silver eyes by Maria, when Yang and Blake came to the door claiming that Oscar was missing, Ruby knew something was wrong, and it had nothing to do with Oscar.

"Did something happen between you two?" Ruby asked as they walked down the street in search of Oscar.

Weiss turned to them as well, also sensing something off about them.

"What do you mean?" Yang asked.

"You covered your mark." Weiss pointed out.

"So? It was itchy, and I didn't want to make it bleed." Yang answered defensively.

"And Blake's covered the same place!" Ruby cried.

Blake looked insulted for a moment.

"Yang isn't the only one who gets a mark Ruby." Blake explained.

"Is that it?" Weiss asked "Yang bit you so you're suddenly acting different?"

"I guess, it was weird though, biting you." Yang admitted, glancing at Blake while folding her arms behind her back.

"It did feel... odd" Blake agreed.

Ruby and Weiss looked between the two, knowing there was something they weren't saying, but decided to leave them be.

An hour passed with no luck, the team eventually deciding it was best to look tomorrow

* * *

A Few Days Later

"I've got it!" Ruby cried suddenly as they were about to leave.

"Got what?" Qrow asked from where he was sitting on the stairs, trying to stay out of the way.

Ruby spun around and pointed at Blake and Yang.

"You did it!" Ruby cried excitedly, running over to her sister and tugging on her jacket like a child.

Yang chuckled and looked at Blake.

"Busted." she said, zipping down her jacket and revealing a small tattoo of a bee.

Everyone gathered around, admiring the little bee mark.

"Show us yours Blake." Weiss ordered.

Blake smiled and adjusted her top to reveal a matching bee.

"Since you kept it secret for a few days, might we assume you have an Affinity?" Maria asked.

"We don't know yet." Blake admitted.

"How long were you going to keep it secret?!" Ruby whined.

"Until you found out." Yang answered teasingly.

Ruby pouted and ran a finger along the dotted line.

"As nice as this is, shouldn't we be going?" Oscar asked from the doorway, having been the only one aside from Qrow not wanting to see the marks.

"Killjoy." Ruby grumbled, walking out the door.

Blake and Yang exchanged amused looks at Oscar's offended look before following after.

* * *

"Alright, does everyone know their roles?" Ruby asked as they walked towards the coast of Argus.

"We stand guard on the coast, while Blake disables the tower." Weiss reported.

"And I chaperone her." Yang added.

A few people laughed while Blake just smiled.

"Make sure you come right back, no making out." Maria teased.

Blake blushed.

"Hey, you can always walk with everyone else!" Yang snapped.

"She has a point Yang, come straight back so we can leave for Atlas." Ruby ordered.

Blake and Yang glanced at each other.

"We'll be 20 minutes, max." Blake responded.

Yang nodded in agreement.

"Alright," Ruby responded.

The group finally reached the coast and Maria got off the bike and was quickly replaced by Yang and Blake.

"Message in when you get to the drop off, then when you're coming back." Ruby ordered.

Yang saluted her sister before taking off.

As Yang drove, Blake talked on her scroll to Terra, she could feel the worry coming from her.

"Blake, calm down." Yang ordered.

Blake relaxed slightly, but didn't calm down.

"We're almost at the drop off." Yang reported as they neared the small clearing.

"Yes! Everything's going to plan!" Jaune cheered.

Blake chuckled while Yang smiled in amusement at that.

"He's really not so bad, Pyrrha would've been lucky." Blake murmured as she got off.

Yang nodded in agreement.

"You sure I shouldn't come with?" Yang asked.

"More intruders means we're more likely to be caught, besides stealth isn't exactly your...--" Blake cut herself off when she turned around and was met with Yang's folded arms and flat look, she instantly broke out in cold sweat and shrugging helplessly "I mean... you're great! And I'll hurry back!"

Yang's glare was replaced with a warm, loving smile.

"Go." she said, amusement and love passing through their link.

Blake gave a warm, loving smile back before running off.

"Heading it on foot, won't be long." Blake reported.

* * *

Yang got off her bike and sat on the floor against it, leaving her scroll on the seat and keeping a close eye on the link.

_Annoyance, Anger! Calm. Worry... Fear...!_

"Yang! What's happening?!" Ruby cried.

"I'm not sure." Yang admitted, quickly getting on her bike and driving through the trees, following her connection to Blake allowing her to 'see' her as Blake ran through the trees.

"I'm checking it out, she probably just got caught by the guards." Yang said reassuringly.

"Well we're ready when you are, don't be long." Ruby ordered.

As Yang drove through the trees, she could faintly hear the sound of running water, and a fight, from what she could tell it was definitely Blake, and she seemed to be losing.

Yang drove up to a cliff edge and went straight over, leaping off right as it slammed into a very familiar face, and almost sent him into the river below.

Adam looked up with one icy blue eye that resembled Weiss' too much for Yang's liking, and one burnt, lifeless eye with SDC branded across it, he stared at her for a second before his eyes darkened.

"You..." he hissed.

Yang shot at him with Ember Celica, which he parried with Wilt.

"Yang..." Blake breathed before falling to her knees.

"It's okay, catch your breath for a second," Yang said softly, before giving Adam a dark look "I can hold him off."

"She's right Blake, it's okay, we have... unfinished business." Adam stated, moving into a battle stance.

The two started fighting, Adam occasionally fading out of her reach in a move that vaguely resembled Blake's shadow clones.

"His Semblance is like yours, he absorbs energy through his sword, stores it up, then sends it back when he's ready." Blake explained.

"He gets to dish out damage without having to feel it? That's just cheap." Yang complained.

She could feel Blake's fear as she fought, and for a moment could see Blake bearing witness to Adam using Moonslice.

A familiar room turned red and black, Yang charging at Adam while tears ran down her face, body glowing with her aura.

She dove at him, airborne for a moment before Adam flew past, then she was falling while her arm fell away from her, the end of her right arm turning gold as her aura tried to heal something that was no longer part of her.

Yang blinked and eyed Blake before shrugging it off, she could've sworn she heard Blake screaming her name, the faunus now standing and moving towards her.

_Worry?_

_Calm, Anger!_

"Leave. Us. Alone." Yang ordered threateningly, holding her scorched metal arm "This is your last chance."

_Fear..._

Blake eyed Yang worriedly, even more so when her hand started shaking, something Adam noticed as well.

"Do you really believe that? Or are you just trying to scare me away so you won't have to die trying to protect her?" Adam asked mockingly, looking between the two girls.

Yang grit her teeth, clenching her still shaking hand in a fist.

"She's not protecting me Adam, and I'm not protecting her." Blake stated, taking Yang's hand "We're protecting each other."

 _What's that even mean...?_ Yang wondered.

"You knew you couldn't win two on one at Haven, what makes you so sure you can win now?" Adam asked.

"I don't have a choice! I have people who actually care about me, and I promised I'd never leave them again, so I'm not dying now." Blake replied, tightening her grip on Yang's hand.

A dock appeared this time, the strong smell of fish as team RWBY sat together on a pile of crates.

"... I want you to promise that next time you have a problem, you come to your team, and not some... one else." Weiss had said.

The entire team had sworn to that promise that day.

"... You know she made a promise to me once, that she'd always be at my side, and look how well she's kept it." Adam said to Yang.

_Fear...!_

"Did she make that promise to you? Or to the person you're pretending to be?" Yang asked.

"So I just wasn't good enough for you." Adam deduced.

"You know it's so much more that." Blake answered.

"I know you've made your choice, and I've made mine." Adam said, reaching for Wilt.

Yang lifted her fists, watching to the ex-lovers, Blake lifted the remains of Gambol Shroud, while Adam frowned, as though hoping she would change her mind.

The two fought Adam, Yang almost smiling when they used Bumblebee for the first time in over a year.

"Blake!" Yang cried when the faunus was thrown off the bridge.

_Calm!_

Yang relaxed and turned to Adam, Blake watching as the two, mostly Adam, occasionally talked while she climbed.

Yang threw herself onto the Paladin, punching while sending fire dust into where she knew Torchwick was, before Blake was forced to watch her getting slammed through two pillars holding the roads up, she crashed into the third and began to fall, not even allowed to hit the ground before the Paladin threw her like a rag doll.

"Yang!"

Blake blinked at the memory, she found herself wondering why it had all been from Yang's point of view rather than her own.

"Our Affinity..." she breathed, becoming much more determined to reach the bridge, then she got hit with Yang's emotions.

_Determination, Shock, Fear..._

"What did he say...?" Blake wondered, jumping so she could see.

Adam was standing in front of Yang, who looked like she'd just been slapped.

"Me neither." he said before charging at her.

_Yang..._

Blake bit her lip as she struggled to hold onto the crumbling rock, forcing herself up before just using a shadow clone, she felt a swell of pride for Yang when she used her Semblance.

"I may not be faster, but I'm smarter." Yang said, allowing Blake to know what was said.

_He didn't... Why that...!_

Before Blake could get angry, Yang threw Wilt over the side, giving Blake the perfect chance as Adam tried in vain to catch his weapon in time.

Blake punched him, hard, causing him to stumble back and almost trip over one broken half of Gambol Shroud, Yang grabbed the other half while Adam and Blake dove for the broken sword.

What happened next was a blur, Blake and Yang stabbed Adam, Adam falling off the bridge, and then Blake started crying as she watched his body being washed away, Yang pulled her into a hug right as she started crying.

"I-I'm not going to break my promise, I swear." Blake said, clinging onto Yang as she cried.

"I know you won't." Yang responded, even as silent tears ran down her own cheeks, not over the man they just murdered, but rather the grief radiating from Blake.

* * *

As they made their way back a few minutes later, something dawned on Yang.

"Hey, what were those things I saw before?" Yang asked.

"You mean when I saw you getting attacked by Torchwick back in second semester?" Blake asked, taking the blonde's hand.

Yang hummed.

"I saw the promise we made at the docks, then when I..." Yang hesitated and glanced down at her arm.

Blake nodded.

"It was from your perspective though." Blake said.

"Yep, certainly nice watching myself get amputated." Yang said sarcastically.

Blake huffed.

"And it was nice watching you get hurt from your point of view as well, which must've hurt." Blake said with the same amount of sarcasm.

Yang bobbed her head.

"Felt every bit of it." Yang answered, adjusting her jacket up to reveal a scar she'd got from that fight.

Blake winced sympathetically.

"Think that was our Affinity the old lady was talking about?" Yang asked.

Blake nodded.

"It was an Affinity, I wonder..." Blake smiled mischievously and images flowed through both their minds.

The first time they met, Yang attempting small talk which failed miserably... Meeting in the forest when they first became partners... Talking in the classroom about Yang's past... The dance... Celebrating their win during the tournament...

"I think I like our Affinity." Yang confessed.

Blake nodded in agreement.

"I _know_ I like our Affinity." Blake corrected right as they reached the airship.

**Author's Note:**

> This follows what I thought was one of the best scenes in all of RWBY; Everyone chatting and joking like in the Beacon days


End file.
